


Pirate Barnes

by Candy_Kittens



Series: Witch Hunt & Pirate Barnes [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies)
Genre: 18th Century, Bucky Barnes in the Pirates of the Caribbean universe, F/M, Jack Sparrow is a little shit, Jack the Monkey is a little shit, M/M, Pirate Bucky Barnes, Pirates, Steve's not in this one, Supernatural - Freeform, The Black Pearl - Freeform, The Flying Dutchman, Witch Bucky Barnes, Witches, covers a bit before Dead Man's Chest all the way to the end of At World's End, story is split into two parts in this book, the prequel to Witch Hunt, this is before Bucky met Steve
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-11-06
Packaged: 2020-02-16 08:16:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18687649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Candy_Kittens/pseuds/Candy_Kittens
Summary: -- the prequel to Witch Hunt --set five or six years prior to Witch HuntAt age 13, James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes witnessed his mother being executed for being a witch.At age 22, James has followed in his mothers footsteps as a witch for the past nine years, and has sworn vengeance on the woman who had caused his mother's death. His own aunt.But James has decided that it's time to venture out on another path. The path of pirating. So he travels to the pirate port, Tortuga, hoping to join any crew that'll take him. Though, he never expected that he'd become something more with his captain, and that this isn't just any old pirating gig like he thought. Ghosts and the supernatural exist, and they're all chasing down one man. His captain....





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So, if you've read my Stucky story Witch Hunt, this is the prequel to that story - which is set in the Pirates of the Caribbean universe.
> 
> And there's a bit of Bucky/Jack Sparrow in this. And past Hector Barbossa/Jack Sparrow cause I'm a big Sparbossa shipper.
> 
> Now, I'd just like to mention, that this story will be split into two sections, so the first half will be covering the events a bit before and during Dead Man's Chest, and the last half will cover the events during the At World's End movie. Which means I don't _really_ know how long this story will be.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!
> 
> BTW, like all my other fics, this is also posted onto my Wattpad account, @-hawkwing

"James listen to me." The woman says, holding her son close to her. "When they come, you need to run. Run as fast as you can and don't stop until you're as far from this place as you can."

The boy shakes his head, hugging his mother tight. "I'm not leaving you, ma." He says. "I won't let them take you!"

The woman looks behind her, hearing the footsteps of the towns sheriff approaching the door to her home, and the rattle of chains. They've come to take her away to be executed for being a witch.

Turning back to her son, she reluctantly pulls away from him to retrieve her spell book. She will no longer have any use of it, but if her son chooses to follow his destiny, then he will have a need for it.

"Here. Take my spell book, James." She says, handing he book to her son. "You'll need it more than I will."

The boy takes the book from her, his hands shaking as he stares down at it.

"Now go!" The woman says, pushing her son towards the open window. "Climb out the window and go!"

She doesn't want her son to face the same fate as her. It may come to it one day down the road if he follows his destiny and becomes a witch, but she will not see it happen today. Not while he's still young.

"Go!" She repeats as the boy makes no move to climb out the window.

Reluctantly, James climbs out the window. With tears in his eyes, he turns to his mother one last time, just as the towns sheriff and his men break down the door of their home to take her away for her execution.

He doesn't stay much longer after that. Clutching his mother's spell book to his chest, he turns and runs before anyone can spot him.

He doesn't look back after that, just runs until he can run no longer, and collapses on the grass where he breaks out in a sob.

His mother is set to be executed for being a witch. All because of his aunt Nadia. It's all her fault that his life is now ruined and his mother about to be killed, and there's nothing that he can do about it.

 _"_ _And_ _what_ _do_ _we_ _have_ _here_ _?"_

He looks up, finding his aunt standing over him, a wicked smirk on her face.

"Why would you betray her like that?" James sobs. " _Why_ would you betray you're own sister?"

His aunt just laughs, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and pulling him to his feet.

"Let me go!" James tries to break free from her hold, but it's no use. She's stronger than he is.

"You _will_ watch your mother hang." Nadia says, pushing James in front of her as she leads him towards the gallows.

James has no choice but to go with her. He keeps a tight hold on his mother's spell book, not wanting to loose it, as his aunt pushes him closer to the gallows where his mother is about to be executed.

As soon as they're atop the wall outside the gallows overlooking the crowd gathered below, Nadia pushes James to the ground.

All James can do is kneel there on the edge over looking the gallows below, and clutch his mother's spell book tighter to his chest. He doesn't want to be here, and he certainly doesn't want to watch his mother be hanged, but he has no other choice.

He looks down into the crowd of people, then to where his mother is standing on the platform. Her hands are chained behind her back, and the noose is already around her neck. The executioner is standing next to her, ready to pull the lever and grant her her death.

James doesn't want to see this. He doesn't want to be here.

His mother looks up towards him, and James can see the fear in her eyes. Her fear not for her impending death, but fear for her son to watch her die.

She never wanted her son to see this. She wanted him to be far away from here, not to be here watching her execution. But she should've known that her traitorous sister would be near to snatch her son and force him to watch his own mother be executed.

James cannot watch as the executioner pulls the lever, and his mother falls to her death. So he closes his eyes as more tears run down his cheeks as he listens to the sounds of his mother struggling, then eventually everything is quiet.

His mother is dead. Betrayed by her own sister.

James opens his eyes, seeing his mother hanging lifelessly by her neck through teary eyes.

This is the moment that he _knows_ that he must follow in his mothers footsteps and become a witch, even though he never wanted to. He wanted to be a pirate, not a witch.

But fate seems to have different plans for him....

He turns to look up at his aunt.

"I will kill you for this." He chokes.

His aunt just stares down at him, before she's turning around and walking away from him, leaving him kneeling on the wall.

James makes a promise to himself then. A promise that he'll one day fulfill.

He will kill his aunt for what she's done. Even if it's the last thing he'll ever do.

 _He_ _will_ _get_ _his_ _revenge_ _._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The part after this one is just a divider thing for the first half of the story.


	2. PART ONE - Dead Man's Chest

Part One of Two

Covers events before and during  
Pirates of the Caribbean; Dead Man's Chest.


	3. I - Tortuga

James is unsure of how he ended up in the pirate port of Tortuga, but he finds himself glad that he's ended up here of all places. Though it's not the nicest of places to end up at, it sure beats where he was previously.

In truth, he has always wanted to come here one day. There's just something about pirates that fascinates him. If it weren't for the fact that he had followed his destiny and became a witch like he was always meant to for the past nine years since his mother's execution when he was 13 - despite not wanting to become one to begin with - he probably would've ended up a pirate.

Then again, he can _still_ become a pirate. That's not out of the question yet. So maybe it's a good thing he's ended up in this place. Maybe it's time he ventures out on a new path. He's always wanted to be a pirate after all.

Holding his cloth bag closer to him, he makes his way into the tavern. Maybe if he's lucky, he can find some pirate crew to join. Though, he'll have to hide his spell book somewhere, as he's not so sure if it would be a good thing to have aboard a ship.

He _still_ needs to find himself a sword though if he really wants to join a crew. He already has a pistol of his own that he managed to steal, but he needs a sword too. More like wants one than needs one though.

He's not sure what he was expecting as he walks inside the tavern. He certainly didn't expect any respectful people just sitting and having a drink for the night, _especially_ not with the chaos already outside.

But he's never been inside a tavern on a pirate port, or around pirates in general. So it's a bit daunting for him to come face to face with the large crowd of pirates and whores laughing, yelling, and having an overall merry time. Well, a merry time for most as it would appear.

Carefully making his way through the crowd of drunk pirates and whores, he reaches the front of the room.

"What's your cheapest?" He asks, pulling out his small sack of coins from the pocket of his jacket.

He doesn't have an awful lot of money, but he should have enough for at least one drink.

The man behind the counter grabs a bottle of something, James thinks is rum - he doesn't drink often enough to know for sure. He tells James the price, and James pays before making his way through the crowd to find a free table to sit at.

Luckily he manages to find a free table, and sits down, taking a swig of the sweet tasting liquid as he looks around him.

There's pirates and whores everywhere. But he doesn't find much interest in finding a whore and taking her with him to one of the rooms and spending the night with her. If he wanted that, he would go out and find a brothel.

Keeping a look out on the off chance that there's a pirate captain looking to expand his crew, James sits back on his stool against the wall behind him and just drinks the alcohol in the bottle.

He's not quite sure what to look out for if there's a captain looking to expand his crew numbers, so he's just going to have to keep an eye out. Though he supposes that it wouldn't be too difficult to tell where crew sign ups are being held. All he needs to look for is where a large group of pirates are gathered.

Then again... as he looks around there's large groups of pirates everywhere....

Either way, he keeps a close eye out just in case.

James isn't sure how long he has been sitting at the small table by himself when he notices a group of about four or five pirates enter the tavern. He doesn't think much of it at first, but he grows curious as his gaze lingers on the pirate with the dark hair, faded red bandanna, and the captain's hat.

He's not sure what possesses him to get up from his seat, and make his way over to the pirate, but he finds himself doing so anyway. There's just something about that pirate that intrigues him, and he finds himself interested in joining his crew. _If_ the pirate is in fact a captain.

Holding his cloth bag close to him, not wanting anyone to try and steal it from him, he walks over to the pirate.

"Excuse me?" James asks, stopping next to the pirate, who turns towards him, swaying on his feet a little.

James gets a good look at the pirate now that he's close enough to see him. He feels as though he's seen the man somewhere before, but he can't quite pinpoint where exactly.

The pirate had an assortment of beads and other items tied into his hair, and on his hands he wore many rings. His clothes while ragged looking don't appear as worn out as the rest of the pirates he came in with.

"What might it be that you're looking for, lad?" The pirate asks.

James notices the man's dark eyes flick up and down his body. He also notices the way the man bites his lip a little.

"If I'm not mistaken, you're a captain, right?" James asks, mentally punching himself for not thinking over more how he was going to ask

"You interested in joining me crew, lad?" The man asks, flashing him a smile, his golden teeth glinting in the light of the tavern. "Well, as it just so happens, I'm in need of more men for me crew." He says, holding a hand out. "Welcome aboard."

James takes his hand in his. "Thank you. Captain..."

"Captain _Jack_ _Sparrow_." The pirate says, as the two shake hands. "And what be your name, lad?"

That name. _Captain_ _Jack_ _Sparrow_ _...._ James is almost sure he's heard that name before. Wherever the hell he's heard of it before though, he's not too sure.

Not that he really cares though. He's just glad that the captain is willing to allow him to join his crew.

"The name's James Buchanan Barnes." James says.

Jack frowns, swaying on the spot a little as he stares at James. "You're name's too long, lad." He says, stopping to think for a moment. "I know! You'll be Bucky instead. It's short, and easy to remember."

James smiles, thinking the name over in his head. _Bucky_ _...._ He quite likes the sound of that. Bucky sounds much more piratey than James does.

" _Bucky_ _...._ " He says, testing out the name. "That can work."

"Great." Jack smiles, before turning to an older looking pirate. "Gibbs! Go set up sign ups near the stairs." He says. "I'm going to get meself a drink."

"Aye, captain!" The man who Bucky is assuming is Gibbs says, before he's going off to set up whatever he needs to.

Jack turns to Bucky once more. "Come, Bucky." He says, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "Let us have a drink, and I'll take you to me ship afterwards. She's a beautiful ship, my Pearl."

"I'm looking forward to it." Bucky says, as he walks alongside his captain.

Something stirs inside him as he walks so close to Jack, even more so with his captain's arm around him. Whatever the feeling is inside him, he's not sure, but he'd be happy to act on it if it's what his captain wants.

"What's in the bag?" Jack asks, after they've found a table near where Gibbs is sitting doing crew sign ups.

Bucky looks down at his cloth bag on his lap. He's not sure if it would be a good idea to tell Jack that he's a witch. He's not even sure if pirates have a different outlook on witches.

"It's just... what little belongings of mine I have left." He says, holding his bag closer to him.

Which _is_ true. What's in his bag is all he us left. But does he trust Jack enough to tell him _everything_ that's in there? They only just met after all.

Jack nods, before leaning closer to him and staring at him. "What is a young kid such as yourself doing here anyway?" He asks.

Bucky shrugs, not _really_ knowing the answer. Or what to tell Jack and what to not tell him. "I guess... I just needed something new." He says, deciding that that's believable enough.

He must admit, he finds himself a little put off at how close Jack is, but he can't deny that the captain is _very_ good looking. Despite the bad hygiene, but he doesn't expect pirates to have very good hygiene anyway.

"Well, that's good enough for me." Jack smiles, sitting back on his chair and taking a long swig of his drink.

Bucky does the same, albeit drinks his drink more slower than Jack does his. He's not much of a drinker, whereas from what he can tell by looking at Jack, he clearly is.

"Oi, Gibbs!" Jack calls out. "How many sign ups we got so far?"

Bucky looks over at the older pirate who's seated a the table next to them gathering sign ups for the crew.

"Not much yet I'm afraid, Captain." Gibbs says, looking rather disappointed. "It may seem not many want to sail under the command of Captain Jack Sparrow."

That makes Jack frown. " _Who_ wouldn't want to sail under my command?"

"Well, maybe because as far as everyone knows, the Pearl is a cursed ship." Gibbs sighs.

"That was Hector's fault, not mine." Jack says. "And... Hector is gone now."

Bucky can't help but notice that Jack looks a little upset as he mentions this Hector guy. But his sadness doesn't seem to last too long, so Bucky decides not to question him about it. It's none of his business anyway.

"Jack, I..." Gibbs sighs, he goes to say more, but Jack cuts him off.

"Gibbs, I'm fine." Jack says, forcing a smile. "Just forget it."

From the sounds of things, Bucky guesses that Jack must've had some sort of history with this guy Hector. History that Bucky guesses was both good and bad.

But he doesn't question it. It's not his business after all.

Looking over towards Jack, Bucky finds the man watching him. Staring at him with some emotion hidden in his dark brown eyes that he can't quite tell as he takes another long drink from his bottle of rum.

Bucky looks away, feeling his cheeks heat up. Thankfully because of the lighting inside the tavern Jack isn't able to see the pink blush on his cheek. Though even if Jack could see it, Bucky can just blame it on the alcohol.

Though as he stares down at the table, taking small sips of his drink, he's _still_ aware of the captain's dark eyes on him.


	4. II - Welcome Aboard the Black Pearl

"And here she is, Bucky." Jack says, one arm around Bucky's shoulders, and a bottle of rum in one hand. "Here is my beautiful ship, the Black Pearl."

Bucky looks up at the ship awe. A huge black ship with black sails. She's definitely a beautiful ship, though the longer he stares at her, he notices that the ships blackness isn't paint or anything. She's not been painted black. She's been burned.

Which makes him curious as to _how_ the ship is still standing and not a sunken wreck at the bottom of the ocean. Has Captain Jack Sparrow struck a deal with a witch or some other worldly being to bring his ship back from the depths? He does recall Gibbs mentioning the ship being cursed....

He doesn't mention nor ask anything of the sort to Jack though. He's not sure what type of reaction that would bring out of the captain.

"She's beautiful." He says instead. "Maybe one of the most beautiful ships I've ever seen."

Jack looks at him, giving him a toothy grin, his gold teeth shining in the light of the rising sun. "Indeed she is." He sighs, looking back to his ship.

Bucky watches as Jack moves away from him, and makes his way onto his ship. He falters a little, holding his cloth bag close to him. He was supposed to find somewhere to hide his stuff, but he hadn't gotten around to doing that.

He's _still_ also got to find himself a sword, but that shouldn't be too difficult to find.

"You coming, lad?" Jack calls from up on deck of the ship as he notices that Bucky hasn't followed.

"Uh, yeah." Bucky nods, sighing a little as he makes his way on board the Black Pearl.

He'll have to find somewhere to hide his stuff at another time. Besides, leaving it hidden somewhere in Tortuga probably isn't the wisest thing to do.

As he climbs up on deck, he notices the very faint scent of burnt and charred wood, and as he begins to walk around on deck, he begins to spot more evidence that the ship has been burned. Other than that though, the ship appears in good shape.

He must admit, he's interested to hear about what exactly happened that caused the ship to be burnt, but he's unsure if Jack is willing to talk about it.

"So, we heading anywhere?" Bucky asks, curious to find out where it is that they're going. _If_ there's anywhere in particular that the ship will be sailing to anyway.

Jack turns to him, swaying a little. "There are some things that I need to get taken care of." He says. "Of which I'd rather not talk about at this current moment."

Bucky nods, finding that to be fair. Though he would've liked to know where they'd be heading. He's sure he'll find out soon enough anyway.

"So..." He trails off, looking around the deck of the ship. "Where's the crew's nest?"

"I think I have a better place for you to sleep, Bucky." Jack says. "I wouldn't want such a strapping young lad such as yerself sleepin' below deck with the rest of me crew."

That takes Bucky by surprise. He wasn't really expecting that. Then again... from the way that Jack was staring at him inside the tavern, maybe he should've expected something like this....

"And, where might that be?" He asks.

Jack flashes him a smile, walking over to his side. "You shall share my quarters with me." He wraps an arm around Bucky's shoulders. "It gets rather lonesome in there by meself." He says. "And... we have a slight monkey problem, thanks to me old mate Hector." He stops, seemingly recalling some distant memory, before he continues. "I could use another pair of hands to help catch the wretched beast."

Bucky raises an eyebrow at that. There's a monkey problem on the ship and the captain wants him to share his quarters.... Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to join the crew of Captain Jack Sparrow....

Actually, Bucky's rather glad he joined the crew of Captain Jack Sparrow. Though, he does have a nagging feeling in the back of his head that it's not such a good idea.

He chooses to ignore the nagging feeling though. It's probably nothing anyway.

"Uh, okay." He says. He _hopes_ this is a good idea....

"Great!" Jack says, before looking him up and down. "Now alls needed is to find you a sword, but luckily I have a few in me cabin." He stops. "How good are you with a sword, lad?"

Bucky shrugs. He's never really used a sword before. He's never had a need to use one after all. "I've never actually used one before."

Jack nods. "Well, first time for everything, ain't it?" He says. "Come. I shall take you to me cabin and get you settled in."

Bucky follows him, holding his cloth bag to his side more. He's got to fond somewhere to hide it. Maybe somewhere in the captain's cabin will do. At least then he knows that none of the crew will be able to find it. But would Jack find it?

And _if_ Jack were to find it, what would he do about the contents of it?

He's not sure how Jack and the crew feel about witches. They m throw him overboard as soon as they find out. Then again, both witches and pirates are outlaws, so there's the chance that they won't give a fuck.

He hopes that thy won't care. He doesn't fancy being thrown overboard.

"By the way, lad." Jack says. "Might I ask how old you are?"

"I'm twenty two." Bucky says, not entirely sure why that's of importance to Jack.

Jack nods. "Right then." He removes his arm from around Bucky's shoulders as he opens the doors to his cabin. "Well, Bucky. Here it is!"

He suddenly jumps back with a shout as a monkey runs out of the cabin and off toward the deck of the ship. "Eh, horrible little beast!" He grabs his pistol and starts shooting at the monkey. "Stay outta my cabin!"

Bucky goes to take the pistol out of Jack's hand to stop him from shooting at the poor monkey, but stops as he notices that with each shot Jack sends towards the monkey, it doesn't kill it. Even when the bullets hit parts of the monkey that _should_ kill it.

"Stupid undead monkey...." Bucky only just hears Jack mutter to himself, as he shoves his pistol back into it's place on his person.

"Did you just say _undead_?" Bucky asks, looking to Jack in confusion.

He _did_ hear him right, didn't he? _Undead_ monkey?

Jack sighs, shaking his head. "It's a _long_ story that has to do with me old mate, and cursed treasure of Cortés that resides at the Isla de Muerta." He says. "Maybe one day I'll share the tale with you, but for now, I feel I need to take a nap. Or I shall like some more rum." He holds the now empty bottle of rum in his hand up to his face, tipping it over and frowning as nothing spills out of it. "This one is rather empty."

Bucky nods, deeming that fair enough. Though he _is_ rather curious now to hear the tale. He's briefly heard of the cursed treasure of Cortés, but he doesn't know a lot about it. But he had always thought the curse to be ridiculous superstition.

He follows Jack into the cabin, taking note of everything inside, and trying to see if he can locate somewhere inside that he can hide his stuff. Preferably somewhere Jack won't go looking.

"Take a seat wherever you like!" Jack says, waving his arms around the room a little. "There's more than enough room."

And Bucky does just that, walking around the cabin, before taking a seat at the table. Jack on the other hand goes straight to the bed on the other end of the cabin, pulling out a bottle of rum from under the bed.

He may have only just met Captain Jack Sparrow, but it doesn't surprise Bucky that the pirate has a bottle of rum hidden under his bed. And it's fairly likely it's not the only bottle either.

"You thirsty?" Jack asks, lifting up the bottle of rum towards Bucky.

Bucky shakes his head. "No thanks." He says. "I had enough at the tavern, and I'm not much of a drinker."

Jack huffs at that. "Your loss, and more for me." He says, before taking a swig. "Oh! I almost forgot!" He sets the bottle of rum to the side, jumping up off his bed before making his way over to Bucky. "I know what you are, lad."

This takes Bucky by surprise, and he suddenly finds himself growing nervous. "Y-you know what?" He asks, holding his cloth bag closer to him.

If Jack knows what he _thinks_ he knows, then Bucky isn't sure if he needs to make a break for it or not. He doesn't know how pirates, or Jack feels about witches.

Jack smirks, looking down at him. "Bucky, luv." He says, leaning closer to him. "I _know_ a witch when I see one."


	5. III - Admittance and a Proposition

Bucky stares at Jack. The man knows he's a witch, and he suddenly finds himself unsure of what to do. He wasn't expecting to get found out at all, or at least not this early on.

"What...what do you mean?" He finally asks, after a short period of silence with Jack staring at him.

Maybe he just misheard him? He rather doubts it.... He's always had pretty good hearing.

"I _know_ you're a witch." Jack repeats, sitting up on the table next to Bucky. "Don't worry, lad. I don't care."

Bucky relaxes at that, though he stays a little on edge. Jack doesn't care, which is a huge relief. But what about the reset of the crew? What do they think?

He'd rather not figure that out just yet....

"How do you know I'm a witch?" He asks.

He _has_ to know how the captain knows that he's a witch, and what he's going to do about it.

For starters though, he wants to know _how_ Jack knows that he's a witch. Then he'll find out what he's going to do about it.

He had always thought that he was rather good at hiding the fact he's a witch, so the fact that the man sitting next to him can tell he's a witch.... That's got him worrying that he's not as good as hiding it as he first thought he was.

"Well... I _may_ have had a few dealings with some witches in the past." Jack says, frowning a little as he rubs his left cheek. "And me mother is a witch."

Bucky nods, looking away from him. He had suspected that Jack may have had a few dealings with witches in the past, though maybe not very many good ones. But he wasn't expecting for his mother to be a witch.

There's _still_ the issue of what Jack's going to do about it though, Eve if he says that he doesn't care that he's a witch. Then there's the crew to consider, and he finds himself worried about what the crews reaction will be.

Maybe this is part of the reason why Jack is letting him stay in his cabin with him? It's quite possible.

"So... what are you going to do about this?" Bucky asks.

"Hmm?" Jack asks, swallowing down a mouthful of rum, shaking his head. "Nothin'." He says. "I'm not gonna kick you off me ship."

Bucky finds himself relaxing at that. He's not getting kicked off the ship. That's what he was most worried about.

"Although." Jack continues. "I believe some of me crew may be a bit wary of witches. Which is part of the reason why I've allowed you to share my quarters with meself."

That's what Bucky had figured, that Jack has allowed him to stay in his cabin with him instead of with the rest of the crew because he's a witch. Though only part of the reason?

Now he finds himself concerned about what the other part of the reason is, _and_ he finds himself a little afraid to ask.... But he needs to know either way.

"And, what might the other part be?" He asks.

He very much hopes that the other part of the reason is nothing bad, but he barely knows this guy, so it could be anything. He's almost not sure if he wants to know, except he _has_ to know what he's getting himself into.

"As I said." Jack starts, getting off the table, coming round to face Bucky. "It gets rather lonesome in here all by meself, and I do not have any women aboard me ship. And well, quite honestly most of me crew are just outright ugly and gross."

Hearing this, Bucky can guess what Jack is suggesting, and now he thinks Jack asking how old he is makes a bit more sense. Along with the way he was looking at him in the tavern.

Question is though.... Does he _really_ want to take part in what Jack is suggesting?

"So, lad." Jack continues. "I have a proposition for you, if you'll accept." He says. "Me bed's big enough for two, and I have needs. Of which I offer you to take part in?"

Bucky nods slowly, looking away. So Jack's offer is of the sexual nature, just like he had guessed. He won't deny that he finds Jack _very_ attractive, but he's unsure if he can agree to this. Not yet at least anyway.

"And if I should choose not?" Bucky asks. "What then?"

Jack stands back a little, and Bucky can't help but notice the man isn't swaying as much as he was in the tavern.

"Nothing." Jack shakes his head. "If you don't want it, then you don't want it." He says. "But my offer will still stand for if you change your mind."

It's not that Bucky doesn't want it, he just needs more time to think about it. He needs some time to figure out if he wants what Jack is offering before he makes any final decisions.

"Can I think about it for a while?" He asks. "Just until I've made my decision?"

Bucky notices that Jack looks a little bit disappointed at that, but he nods. Accepting the request.

"Course, lad." He says. "I wouldn't want to push you in anything that you're not sure of."

He goes to say more, but is interrupted by Mr. Gibbs entering the cabin.

"Captain! We're ready to set sail." He says, making his way over to Jack, stopping as he sees Bucky sitting at the table. He looks at him in confusion, before turning back to Jack. "Do we have a heading, sir?"

Jack sets his bottle of rum down on the table as he grabs his compass. Though he frowns as it doesn't seem to give him a heading. Or at least not one that he's very happy with.

"I'll come out and take the wheel." Jack decides, attaching his compass back onto his belt.

"Aye, captain!" Gibbs nods, before he's leafing the cabin.

Jack goes to leave too, before glancing over at Bucky. "You coming, lad?"

Bucky nods, standing up. He needs some fresh air, but first he's got to find somewhere to put his bag. Somewhere where no one will go finding his spell book.

"In a minute." He says. "I just uh, need to find somewhere to put my bag."

But _where_ he can hide it, he's not so sure. Where is somewhere in here that Jack doesn't often go looking? Or will Jack just not go snooping around in his things no matter where he puts them?

Jack nods, looking around the cabin, waving a hand around. "No matter where you put it or hide it, the damn monkey will find his way to it." He says. "Aside from the chest at the end of me bed anyway."

Bucky looks over towards the chest. If the monkey can find his way to it in every other spot except the chest, then it seems there's only one place he can put it. Though how often does Jack go into that chest?

Either way, he can always just put a charm on his things so no one will try looking at it. Though he's unsure if it'll keep a monkey away....

"Thanks." He nods, walking over to the chest, as Jack walks out of the cabin.

He watches as Jack exits the cabin, before he places the charm on his bag and the contents inside it, and setting his bag down inside the chest.

Though, he stops as he sees the contents of the chest. The only things in there, are a red dress, and a full bottle of red wine. He's not sure why those are the only things in the chest and why Jack even has them - especially the dress. But he doesn't think that he really wants to know as he notices a few stains on the inside dress.

He however does still find himself curious about who the dress belongs to nonetheless. Though he's not certain if Jack would be willing to talk about it.

Shaking his head, he places his bag in the chest, before making his way out on deck. Most of the crew are out on deck going about their duties, and that monkey appears to be running around on deck trying to annoy the crew.

He has to wonder why Jack hasn't just gotten the crew to try and get rid of the monkey. Then again, maybe keeping the monkey on the ship is probably for the better if it's an undead monkey.

Spotting Jack over by the wheel, he makes his way over to him. He makes no move to ask Jack about the contents of the chest as he leans against the railing facing Jack, who's staring at his compass in frustration.

"Is everything okay?" Bucky asks.

"Everything's fine." Jack says, as he continues to stare at his compass. "Just, me compass is not showing me what I want most."

"What?" Bucky asks. "Shouldn't they point north, not what you want?"

As far as he knows, compasses are supposed to point north, not what you want most. Then again, he supposes that Jack has some sort of magic compass. Maybe he got it from a witch or something, due to the fact he had mentioned he's had a few run ins with witches in the past.

"My compass is unique." Jack says, looking up at Bucky. "It doesn't point north, but it shows you what you want most."

Bucky nods. "And what is it you want most, Jack?"

Jack doesn't answer, just shakes his compass around. By the look on his face, Bucky guesses that it's _still_ not showing him what he wants most.

Sighing, Bucky doesn't bother waiting for Jack to answer. The man's too preoccupied with his compass anyway, so it's unlikely he'll actually get an answer.

Instead, he walks over to the edge of the ship and watches as the port of Tortuga begins to grow smaller and smaller as the ship sails away from it.


	6. IV - A Night with the Captain and a Bottle of Rum

Bucky sits out on deck watching as the crew go about their business and how Jack stands at the wheel with a bottle of rum in one hand and his compass in the other.

He’s been aboard the Black Pearl for a few days now, and surprisingly everything’s going a bit better than he had expected it would. Aside from the fact that the captain doesn’t seem to know where they’re heading….

Though he’s still a little unsure of how he feels about sleeping in the captain’s cabin with Jack. but he supposes it’s much nicer than having to sleep below deck with the crew. He still however hasn’t given Jack an answer to his proposition though, and truthfully, he's not sure of his answer just yet.

Although Jack _is_ very good looking and Bucky would be lying if he said that he doesn’t find the man attractive. He’d also be lying if he said he doesn’t want anything sexual with him, but he still needs time to think about his answer. He wouldn’t mind having sexual relations with Jack, but he needs to think about it for a few days before he makes any final decisions.

He’s also not sure where the hell they’re sailing to. Jack’s given the crew no indication that he knows where the hell they’re going. Bucky’s not even sure if Jack knows where they’re going. He may say that he has a plan and he knows where they’re going, but Bucky’s not sure if he really does.

“Gibbs!” Bucky calls, as Mr. Gibbs - Jack’s first mate - walks past him on his way down the stairs from where he was previously near Jack. “Does Sparrow know where we’re going?”

Gibbs sighs, shaking his head as he walks over to Bucky. “He says he does.” He says. “But there’s no knowing with Jack Sparrow.”

Bucky nods, looking up over towards Jack. “Has he always been like this?”

“He’s always been a little odd.” Gibbs admits. “Even more so since the mutiny.”

“Mutiny?” Bucky asks.

He finds himself curious to find out more about that.

“Aye.” Gibbs nods. “Many years ago Jack was mutinied upon, betrayed by his first mate while sailing to the Isla de Muerta.” He says. “Jack was left on an island to die, but he had escaped, swearing revenge on the man who betrayed him.”

“And did he get his revenge?” Bucky asks, glancing over towards Jack who still stands by the wheel, but is now watching them.

Maybe if Jack’s still seeking revenge then that’s where they’re off to….

“He did.” Gibbs says. “Jack had killed his traitorous first mate and taken the Pearl back.”

Bucky nods, in a way glad to know that they’re not about to go off on some revenge mission. Though he himself has one that he needs to go on. He had promised himself that he’d kill his aunt for what she had done.

Gibbs goes to say more, but stops as Jack is standing next to them.

“He wasn’t _just_ my first mate.” Jack says.

Bucky looks a little confused at that, but can guess what Jack means by that. He doesn’t ask about it though, it’s not his place to ask.

Jack doesn’t stay long, before he’s walking off into the captain’s cabin.

Gibbs sighs. “Aye. they were more than a captain and first mate.” He says. “They were close. _Very_ close.”

That’s what Bucky had assumed, but now he’s rather curious about what exactly went wrong between them. He’d ask Gibbs, but he’s not sure if he knows what happened, nor is it his business to know anyway unless Jack tells him himself.

Bucky stays outside on deck for awhile longer, before he decides to head on into the captain’s cabin as the sun begins to set..

Walking into the cabin, he finds Jack sitting on the bed sculling back a bottle of rum.

He’s not sure if he should be surprised at that or not….

“Jack?” Bucky asks, walking over to him slowly.

Jack looks up at him smiling a little. “Hey, lad.” He says, patting the spot next to im. “Come.”

Bucky hesitates a bit, before moving over to him and sits down next to him. And Jack pulls him closer and rests his head on Bucky’s shoulder.

This takes Bucky by surprise, but he doesn’t make a move to get Jack to move off of him. It would appear that Jack needs some comfort anyway, so he allows it. Besides, he doesn’t mind anyway.

“You okay?” Bucky asks, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

Jack shrugs. “I’m fine.” He says. “Just… thinking about Hector.”

Nodding, Bucky assumes that Hector is the first mate who had betrayed him.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asks.

He’s not sure if Jack wants to talk about it, but it’s worth a shot. If Jack wants to talk about it, then he’s willing to listen to him. If not, then that’s fine too. After all, it’s not his business to know if Jack doesn’t want to talk about it.

Jack shrugs. “Hector was my first mate thirteen years ago when I was 25 and ha first captained the Pearl.” He says. “We had met prior, but we never had spent much time together until I offered him the position of my first mate after his ship, the Cobra, had been destroyed and sunk.”

He stops, taking a long drink from the bottle of rum in his hands.

“We were very close.” Jack continues. “Due to be….” He trails off, sighing. “He betrayed me after I had given him the heading to the Isla de Muerta, he organized a mutiny against me. Marooning me on an island to die and took my ship and crew for himself.” He sighs. “It took me ten years to find him and my ship again, and I shot and killed him.”

Bucky nods. Jack got his revenge on the man who had betrayed him. Sounds like a tale of victory, but from the look on Jack’s face, it wasn’t much of a victory.

“You still love him, don’t you?” He asks.

Jack’s quiet for awhile, before he nods. “Aye. I always will.” He sighs. “But he’s gone now.”

That’s mostly what Bucky had assumed. Jack still loves the man who had betrayed him.

He’s not sure what to say about it, so he doesn’t say anything, just tries to comfort him to the best of his abilities. And thankfully it seems to work as Jack moves even closer to him.

Looking down at him, Bucky can’t help but smile a little. He finds that he _really_ doesn’t mind having Jack this close to him. In fact, he rather likes it - which in a way surprises him.

And as a matter of fact, he thinks he’s made a decision about Jack’s proposition.

“Jack?” He asks. “I think… I think I might take you up on that offer.”

Jack shifts around so he’s looking up at him.

“You sure, lad?” He asks. “Because you don’t have to id you don’t want to.”

Bucky shakes his head. “I’m sure.”

Jack smiles, taking a long gulp of rum before handing the bottle to Bucky - who also takes a long gulp from the bottle - and sets it down on the floor next to the bed.

They both sit up and Jack pulls Bucky close to him and kisses him, and Bucky kisses him right back.

It doesn’t take very long until both their clothes are scattered on the floor and they’re under the covers. Taking part in some much needed pleasurable company.

**********

”How‘re ya feeling?” Jack asks as he runs his fingers through Bucky’s hair.

Bucky sighs, shifting around a little as he cuddles close with Jack. His head resting on Jack’s chest, and his fingers tracing over Jack’s tattoos and many scars.

Scars he finds himself not wanting to ask about. He can already guess where they came from anyway. Jack _is_ a pirate after all, so of course he’d have a few scars.

“I’m fine.” He says, looking up at the older man. “What about you?”

“I’m fine, lad.” Jack says. “You want a drink?” He asks. “I’ve got more rum hidden away if you’re interested?”

Bucky pretends to think about it for a few seconds, before he nods. “Yeah, sure.”

Jack nods as he climbs out of bed and wanders around the cabin to find the rum he has hidden away.

As Jack does this, Bucky can’t help but stare at him. The guy _is_ very attractive. Dirty, but attractive, and he’d definitely be down to doing this again.

He sits up as Jack makes his way back over to him with two bottles of rum, taking one of the bottles as Jack hands it to him as he sits back down on the bed next to him.

“So, where might we be heading exactly?” Bucky asks after a while of sitting and drinking with Jack in silence.

“I have something that needs to be taken care of.” Jack says. “I need to fill Gibbs in on my plan in the morning.”

Bucky nods. So he does have a plan, but just has yet to fill anyone in on what it is yet. If he had to guess the reason as to why he hasn’t shared the plan with anyone yet, it would be because he has trust issues thanks to the man who had betrayed him. That’s what he assumes anyway, but it’s entirely possible and the most likely reason.

“What about the rest of the crew?” He asks.

Jack shrugs, but doesn’t reply, just takes a long drink out of his bottle.

Which gives Bucky the impression that Jack doesn’t quite trust the crew knowing about his plan. He didn’t really expect an answer to that anyway.

So he doesn’t push the matter further, just lays in bed with Jack drinking rum well into the night, until he feels himself drifting off to sleep around dawn. With Jack already fast asleep next to him..


	7. V - Here's the Plan....

“Exactly  _ what _ are you planning on doing, Jack?” Gibbs sighs.

It’s dark out and the stars are shining bright as Jack finishes relaying his plan to Gibbs of how he’s going to sneak into some prison and retrieve a certain item that he’s been looking for. Whatever said item is though, he wouldn’t say.

“I’m not so confident in this plan myself.” Bucky admits from where he’s sat by the wheel of the ship.

He’s not so sure of how well Jack’s plan is going to go down, or if this item is absolutely necessary for him to retrieve.  _ Especially _ when he has to somehow sneak into a prison to get it. If he gets caught, he’s as good as dead.

Gibbs looks over at him. “Might I inquire as to why you’re here?”

Bucky can understand why Gibbs is confused on why he’s out here. The rest of the crew are all below deck asleep, leaving just Jack, Gibbs, and himself out on deck over by the wheel of the ship, discussing Jack’s plan. A plan that doesn’t exactly sound very… wise?

“Bucky’s with me.” Jack says, before Bucky can even get a word in. “And he could quite possibly be of some use to us on me quest.”

Bucky looks up at him. “Sorry…  _ what _ ?”

He wasn’t aware that Jack was viewing him as something that could be useful in this quest of his….

“Useful how?” Gibbs asks, glancing over at Bucky, then turning back to Jack. “Jack….”

Jack looks over at Bucky. “There are things about the kid that could be of use.”

Sighing, Bucky stands up. He thinks he knows exactly what Jack is referring to. The fact that he’s a witch might come in handy for him.

And honestly? He’s got no issues with helping Jack with what he needs. Depending on whatever it may be though.

“Jack… you’re not planning on using him as some bargaining tool are you?” Gibbs questions.

“What?” Jack asks, taking a step back. He glances at Bucky. “Of course not!”

Bucky sighs, glad to hear that Jack’s  not using him as some sort of bargaining tool. Which means the more likelihood of him wanting to use him for his skills as a witch

Although, he wouldn’t call himself a very skillful witch. A witch isn’t something that he had always wanted to be after all. He was kind of pushed into it after his mother’s death so he can get his revenge on his aunt.

“He’s hoping I’ll be of some use in his quest because I’m uh….” He trails off. “Because I’m a witch.”

He doesn’t like just announcing to anyone what he is. Mostly because that’ll be a one way trip to the noose. So he he’s hoping that Gibbs is at least somewhat fine with what he is.

Though he guesses that most pirates wouldn’t care too much. They’re both outlaws after all, and condemned to death. But still….

“A  _ witch _ ?” Gibbs asks, looking from Bucky to Jack. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Jack…”

And Bucky too hopes that Jack knows what he’s doing. This quest of his doesn’t sound very safe, so the guy better be sure about this. Who knows what’ll happen if it all fails?

“I’m sure it’ll all go smoothly, Gibbs.” Jack says, looking rather sure of himself. “When have any of my plans ever backfired?”

Gibbs doesn’t reply to that. Bucky’s not sure if that means that Jack’s plans always go according to plan, or if they more often backfire on him. With the look Gibbs gives Jack though, Bucky guesses that they don’t always work out as planned….

“Anyway, this is what’s happening.” Jack says. “I sneak on in, get what I need to get, then sneak back out. Simple plan, really.”

Well… when you put it like that it sounds simple enough, Bucky  _ will _ admit that. But there’s still the issue that since it’s a prison he’s planning on sneaking into, that the place will more than likely be heavily guarded. And if Jack is to get caught, well he’d likely be shot onsite.  _ Especially _ because he’s a pirate.

“There’s still an issue of the place being heavily guarded, Jack.” Bucky says. “And if you get caught, there’s a very high chance that you won’t be making it out alive.”

“Bucky’s right, Jack.” Gibbs agrees. “A place like that will be crawling with guards.” He says. “So whatever you’re going in there for… it best be worth it.”

Jack looks between the two, flashing them a smile. “Oh, it will be.” He says. “And I assure the both of you that everything will go according to plan.”

The way that Jack sounds so sure of himself that everything will go as planned should do  _ something _ to assure Bucky that everything will be fine, at least a little. But all it does is fill him with doubt. He doesn’t have high hopes that this will go down well, and just by looking at him, Gibbs feels the same.

But Jack seems set on following through with this plan, so all they can really do, is try to believe that it’ll all work out in the end.

Bucky sighs, shaking his head. “I don’t like the sound of this plan of yours.” He says. “But I don’t suppose there’s anything we can say to make you consider a different option, so….”

Honestly, he has doubts that there’s a better alternative. If there was, he guesses that Jack would’ve already tried it or taken it into consideration. He hopes that’s the case anyway….

“I guess… there’s nothing else to do bt allow you to go through with this.” He says. “I’ll try and see if there’s anything I can do to help you.”

He’s not exactly sure what he can do to help Jack. It’s not like he can just give him something to make him not visible to the guards - he’s not  _ that _ skilled. But it wouldn’t hurt to see if there’s  _ something _ he can do to help. There might be something of use in his spell book.

Though Jack had said that his mother’s a witch, so maybe the guy has a few tricks up his sleeves that he had learnt from his mother? If that’s the case, it would make this plan of his a bit better.

“Thanks, lad.” Jack nods, before turning to Gibbs. “Inform the crew of our heading, but don’t tell them why we’re going there.” He instructs. “I don’t want them knowing of my plan.”

Gibbs nods. “Aye, captain.” Then he’s off to relay their heading to the crew.

“Jack.” Bucky starts, once Gibbs is out of earshot below deck. “Are you telling the truth when you say that this will all go according to plan?”

Jack’s quiet, seemingly contemplating what to say. “I’m about… eighty five percent sure.” He admits. “Of course there’s going to be a few complications that may arise, but getting meself out of them is what I’m good at.” He says. “I often make up things as I go.” He stops. “Don’t go telling that to Gibbs. he already thinks I’m reckless enough as it is.”

Bucky sighs, nodding. He can see why Gibbs would think Jack is reckless. He’s not known the guy long, but he can already tell he’s rather reckless, and this plan of his further proves it.

“Alright.” He says. “I’m going to see if I can find anything in my spell book for if there’s something I can do to help you with this.”

“Thank you, lad.” Jack nods. “I’ll be staying out here for a bit, so you know where to find me if you find anything.”

And Bucky nods, before he’s turning and retreating off into the captain’s cabin.

He’s got a few days at least to find something useful to help Jack, so he better start searching as soon as possible.

He just hopes there is something that may be of use, even if not much. At this point, anything that may help - no matter how big or small - is good enough.


	8. VI - Not Quite According to Plan....

Sitting out on deck Bucky watches the stars shining bright in the sky as he sips on a bottle of rum. Jack had gone off to take care of what he needed to - sneak into a prison that's heavily guarded, and take whatever it may be that he needs to take.

Whatever it was that he needed to get though, he still wouldn't tell.

Thankfully Bucky did find something to help Jack become less visible inside. Just a simple charm that should expel any unwanted attention on him. But truthfully, Bucky's not sure how long it'll last. Who knows how long he'll be inside the prison for.

Looking around, Bucky spots Gibbs wandering around deck with a bottle of rum, and he appears to be singing some song. A pirate song that Bucky's unfamiliar with.

He takes no mind to Gibbs though, and just continues to sit staring at the stars, awaiting Jack Sparrow's return.

A few crows can be heard in the distance along with the splashing of water against the Black Pearl as she rocks with the waves gently. Aside from the crows and Gibbs' terrible singing, it's quite a nice cool night out at sea.

He looks out towards the side of the ship as the very faint sound of a gunshot can be heard. Which has him becoming worried that Jack's found himself in a bit of trouble. He sure hopes that's not the case though.

Getting up, he walks over towards the side of the ship. He looks out towards the direction where he _thinks_ the gunshot came from, but he doesn't spot anything at first due to it still being dark out. But when the clouds covering the moon begin to clear, he notices a shape floating across the water towards the Pearl.

And as the shape draws near, Bucky discovers it to be Jack rowing towards the ship in a small boat. Though the closer Jack gets, Bucky soon realizes that it's not a boat the captain is in, but a... _coffin?_

And is that a fucking leg bone he's using as an oar?

Bucky realizes that yes. That is _exactly_ what Jack is using as an oar. A damn skeletal leg....

"Gibbs!" Bucky calls, getting the attention of the older pirate as he runs towards the ships ladder. "Sparrow's back."

Gibbs is quick to rush over to him. "Not quite according to plan?" He asks, as he and Bucky help Jack to get aboard.

"Complications arose." Jack says, staring at the leg bone, before tossing it overboard. "But I've found if one were to ask right, there's always someone who be willing to give a leg up."

Bucky and Gibbs look over the side of the ship, finding a one legged skeleton in the coffin.

"Not in my experience." Gibbs says. "Can't go wrong expecting the worst from people."

Jack sighs. "It probably does save time."

"So you got what you wanted?" Bucky asks, as he and Gibbs follow Jack along the ship. "You got what you had gone in for?"

By now the entire crew are out on deck, having heard their captain's return.

"Aye, but I've not yet had the time to properly assess the prize." Jack says, pulling out what looks like a bit of cloth from his jacket pocket.

Bucky expects him to pull something out of the cloth, but he doesn't. Not that he had the time to do so anyway, as a small monkey comes swinging out from the ships rigging with a screech, landing in front of Jack.

Jack lets out a shout as the monkey takes the cloth from him and climbs high up into the ships sails.

Bucky notices the way each time the monkey passes though a shaft of moonlight, it turns into a skeleton. He's taken aback at first, but quickly realizes that this must be what Jack meant by undead monkey. It must be the result of the curse that Jack had spoken to him of.

The cursed treasure of Cortez from the Isla de Mureta.

Jack is quick to grab his pistol out and start shooting at the monkey. Bucky knows that it'll do no good in killing the monkey, but Jack doesn't seem to care. He manages to shoot it, causing it to drop the cloth though, before it scampers off back into the ships rigging.

"You _know_ that does no good." Gibbs says.

"Keeps my aim sharp." Jack says, looking on after the monkey, as it screeches at him from up in the ships rigging. " _Why_ did that little beast have to be the _only_ thing to survive Isla de Mureta?" He grumbles, before noticing that one of his crew has picked up the bit of cloth.

"It's a key." The pirate, Marty - a man half the size of the rest of the crew - says, as he examines the cloth.

"No, no! Much more better!" Jack runs towards him, snatching the cloth from him. "It is a _drawing_ of a key." He says, holding the cloth in full display of his crew.

Bucky and the rest of the crew stare at him in confusion. What he had gone into the prison to get, is _just_ a piece of cloth with a drawing of a key on it, not anything spectacular like they were all expecting.

"That's it?" Bucky asks. " _That_ is what you risked your life to get?" He cannot believe this. "A damn drawing of a key on a piece of cloth?"

This he certainly wasn't expecting Jack to have gone in there to get. A fucking drawing of a key on a piece of cloth? He was expecting something a lot more exciting than that....

Jack looks over at him, but doesn't say anything.

"Captain." Gibbs starts, getting Jack's attention. "I think we were expecting something a bit more... _rewarding_." He says. "What with Isla de Mureta going all pear shaped, reclaimed by the sea and all...."

Bucky knows Gibbs to be right that the entire crew - including himself - were expecting something a lot more rewarding than a damn piece of cloth with a drawing of a key.

Unless there's something that Jack is planning that requires them to now locate the key on the cloth. Which now that he thinks about it, seems the most likely case.

"Unfortunate turn of circumstance." Jack replies to Gibbs.

"...and then having to spend _months_ fighting to keep the British navy off our stern." Gibbs carries on.

"Inevitable outcome of the le vie de boucanier." Jack says.

Bucky has no idea what they're referring to. He wasn't a part of the crew during all this.

"Jack... we've been losing crew at _every_ port, and we didn't get much more at our last stop in Tortuga." Gibbs sighs. "It seems to us what's left that it's been a stretch since we've done a speck of honest pirating."

"Is that it then?" Jack looks around at the crew. "That dear ol' Jack is not serving your best interests as captain?"

The crew shuffle on their feet nervously, not looking their captain in the eye. None of them daring to answer. Until a parrot starts squawking.

"Abandon ship!" The parrot squawks.

Bucky knows the parrot to belong to the mute pirate - Cotton. Gibbs had introduced him to most of the crew not too long ago. Thankfully Gibbs didn't disclose to any of the crew that he's a witch though.

The parrot's squawking causes Jack to draw his pistol out once more, aiming it at the parrot. "What did the bird say?"

"Cotton's parrot don't speak for the lot of us." One of the darker skinned pirates say - Bucky _thinks_ his name is Leech. "We all think you're doing just fine."

"Abandon ship!" The parrot repeats, and Bucky notices Cotton quickly trying to get his parrot to keep quiet.

Jack lowers his gun, which Cotton looks relieved about.

"At least there's one honest..." Jack looks at the parrot. " _Man_ among the lot of you."

Bucky sighs. "Jack..." He says. " _What_ is the purpose of this key drawn on the cloth?"

Jack looks at him, before shaking his head. He doesn't answer Bucky's question. Not really anyway. "Gentlemen... what do keys do?" He asks.

The look between one another, before Leech speaks. "They... unlock things?"

"Aye!" Jack says.

"And whatever this here key unlocks, inside must be something valuable?" Gibbs asks, sounding rather hopeful. "So we're setting out to find whatever this key unlocks!"

That sounds like a reasonable enough plan, Bucky thinks. That they're to set out to find whatever this key is supposed to unlock. And with it find the key also.

But Jack shakes his head. "No!" He says. "We don't have the key, we can't open whatever it unlocks. So whatever be the purpose in finding whatever this key unlocks, if we don't first have the key that unlocks it?"

Bucky looks at him in confusion. "What?"

Even the crew all look at their captain in confusion, not entirely following what he's trying to say.

"So... we're going after this key?" Gibbs asks.

Jack stares at Gibbs and the crew, sighing. "What good is a key if we don't have what it unlocks?"

Now Gibbs, Bucky, and the entire crew are even more confused with Jack than they already were. He doesn't seem to be making much sense, and Bucky's not sure if Jack even knows what he's going on about himself.

"So... do we have a heading?" Marty asks.

"Ah! A heading!" Jack says, pulling out his compass.

Right. Now here's something that Jack can tell them all that will surely make more sense than whatever he was going on about with the key. At least... Bucky _hopes_ so. Judging by the way Jack faces away from the crew, walking away from them a bit and waving his hand around, it doesn't look as though he really knows of their heading.

"Set sail in a general..." Jack starts. "That way... direction." He says, waving his hand off towards the sea.

It certainly doesn't sound like he knows where the hell they're headed to, and Bucky's not so sure that's a good thing. Surely it's not a good thing?

"Captain?" Gibbs asks, looking very confused.

Judging by Gibbs's confusion, Bucky doesn't think this is usual behavior for Captain Jack Sparrow. But he doesn't know for sure. He's not been aboard the Pearl to know for sure. But it _seems_ like it's not.

"I'll charter our course later!" Jack says, as he walks off towards his cabin. "You know how it works." He stops right as he gets to the doors of his cabin, turning around, and looking over at Bucky. "Bucky, lad! Come 'ere!"

Bucky looks at him, before looking around at the crew. All of them staring at him in confusion, clearly not sure as to why one of the newest crew members appears to be getting such attention from the captain.

He supposes that this might also not be usual Captain Jack Sparrow behavior.

"Come on, lad!" Jack calls, growing impatient.

Sighing, Bucky follows Jack into the cabin. All the while painfully aware of the eyes of the entire crew on his back.


End file.
